Sportsman’s Notebook CANTERBURY STRONG IN BASKETBALL

Press, Volume C, Issue 29607, 1 September 1961, Page 6

Sportsman’s Notebook CANTERBURY STRONG IN BASKETBALL

Although Canterbury shared flrat place with Otago in the New Zealand Basketball championship at Dunedin it was not until the Auckland game that Canterbury produced the form expected of a winning team. The Canterbury-Auckland game produced the highest standard of basketball at the championships for several years and this match was the outstanding one of the tournament. Canterbury had a reputation for playing a slow, solid type of game, but this time it produced a display of scintillating basketball to beat Auckland, 36-34. Otago was the only team which beat Canterbury and it was the lowest scoring game of the tournament. The Otago defence was very sound and this earned the team the Violet Gilmour trophy awarded to the side with the fewest goals* scored against it. r The Otago - Canterbury game was marred by obstruction and neither side could be exeused for the unnecessary breaking of the rule. The two-goal margin against Canterbury fairly represented the run of play. Play -in the tournament was generally of a high standard. Canterbury has now won the championship 10 times and tied twice. Otago’s only previous win in the tournament was in 1932. In the North-South game the Canterbury players were outstanding; their play contributed greatly to the record score of 50 goals to 31. Canterbury was second to Hokitika for the Gisborne Cup. which is given for appearance, deportment and marching. * # $ N.Z. Squash Team The New Zealand squash rackets team, selected after the national championships at Hamilton this week, clearly indicates that the selectors, Messrs A. Malcolm (Hamilton) and A. M. Johns (Palmerston North) have looked for solidity and consistency ip making their selection.

Four North Islanders, C. Waugh, I. T. Easton, L. O’Neill, and R. B. Clarke have been chosen. with another, A. Wright, named as reserve. It seems that performances at the championships have largely influenced the selection. Waugh and Easton, the finalists in most of the major events this season, selected themselves. But few would have seriously considered O’Neill at the beginning of this season, and Clarke, a former representative who was not available for the inter-island match, had done little of note until he beat G. L. Bird in the second round at Hamilton. Two former New Zealand representatives, Bird and F. N. Coe, as well as K. R. Green,, all of Timaru. appeared to have every chance of selection when they travelled to Hamilton. But Green surprisingly lost to Wright, a player he was seeded to beat and reach the semi-finals, and Bird, seeded third, gave one of his worst displays to be well Beaten in straight sets by Clarite. Waugh is a. wonderful retriever and Easton an extremely sound squash player. O’Neill has a good all-court game and is always enterprising. Clarke’s main assets ar* his courage and determination and he is a very good match player. Nevertheless, it is unlikely that these players will prove good enough substantially to improve thia country's international standing. Without doubt Bird remains the one New Zealander with the shot* mo»t likely to upset the visitors yet the selectors had every justification in leaving him out. After a late start this season through illness he has had too many surprising losses, mainly through unnecessary lapses of concentration. Although he has performed brilliantly in several matches with Waugh and

Baston he ha* yet to beat either thia teeson. » # * International Chop The outstanding item of a special programme of chopping and sawing event* to be held at the Industries Fair today and tomorrow will be a four-man team chop between Australia and New Zealand. It will be held at 330 p.m. on Saturday. The teams are:NEW ZEALAND; J. Creighton (West Coast). I. Davidson (Tokoroa), G. Hocquard (Pelorus Sound), W, Curtain (West Coast). AVSTBAUA: T. Kirk, D. Youd. J. Lavis. R. Sherriff. Creighton, Hocquard and Davidson were members of the New Zealand team which beat Australia at the Sydney Royal Show last Easter, and Curtain is the New Zealand 14in underhand champion. Youd and Sherriff are both world champions and Lavis and Kirk are former world champions. * * *

Good Wins Two Canterbury, table tennis. players, Mesdames A, Williamson and T. May, had good wins over the national titleholder Miss N. Davis (Northland) in the final of the inter-association matches on Tuesday evening. Although Northland, with all its members New Zealand representatives, won 8-4, Canterbury took three singles matches. Mrs Williamson also beet Mrs J. Green in another good victory. » * * Famous Wing Brian Bevan, the world famous Rugby league wing, returned to Sydney recently to play his first game there in 15 years. Bevan played league for the Warrington club jn England after he left Australia in 1946. Since then he had scored a world record of 757 tries. He made a special trip to Sydney to play in the Keith Holman testimonial match.